Tuesday, March 06, 2007

self-portrait tuesday

Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside of you.
Wally 'Famous' Amos



i have to say, this was a difficult challenge for me. i have always had a hard time looking at myself in the mirror, stemming from a lifetime of dealing with poor self-image issues. mirrors can be so unforgiving! well, let's be true, i am so unforgiving when i look in the mirror.

this is one of the reasons i use hand mirrors so much: to apply lipstick, to wrangle my eyebrows into shape, to check for the ubiquitous spinach-in-the-teeth. this particular mirror has been in our family of four girls for awhile, and i happen to be the current custodian of it. it's not fancy, but it is the mirror that several of us gazed into as we prepared to walk down the aisle to our anxiously awaiting husbands.

recently, my creative energy has been reaffirmed through this process of blogging. i am inspired by so many, and this inspiration has willed me to start being creative again.

i wrote the word 'creative' on the mirror with my lipliner for this photo. i keep hearing the words, "you are so creative," and yet, i still have a hard time believing what i hear. my inner dialogue continues to speak: you are not creative enough.

this is not the first time i have written words of affirmation for myself on the mirror.

look at the way my reflection is peeking out from the center of my home, my heart. looking back at me with the faintest glimmer of the eye. watching me, watching over me. telling me, "it is enough. you are creative enough."

26 comments:

sista # 2 said...

Good Morning! I really like what you captured in this photo:
The room, your hand, your face, the treasured mirror.

And I appreciate your words too. I adore the story of the mirror & 4 sisters weddings!

All the compliments that come your way are sincere & I'm one to add -I am a fan of your creativeness!(is that a word?) If someone said I am creative, I might laugh, but then I need to think -I am creative in an area that maybe this person isn't & therefore, the compliment,right? ;)

Happy Tuesday -ciao

carlo said...

oh wonderful, wonderful post. the story behind the mirror is precious. I like the way it peeks into your home, too. I love it!

i thought the challenge this week was a great adventure. i did not expect to think as much as i did.

thanks for your creativity. I LOVE the creative bits we have seen so far and look forward to seeing many more.

Angie said...

I was stumped on this challenge and couldn't think of what to say about myself. Now that I read yours, I could have been the author of your post. I too have always had problems with self-image issues. I always feel I'm not cute enough, skinny enough, pretty enough, nice enough, smart enough, creative enough. You name it, I feel I need to be "more" of it.
Can I have a redo on my post? hehehe I could say so much more about myself and my "issues" than I shared in my post last night.
Thanks for sharing about yourself with us. I think you ARE creative enough. I enjoy reading your thoughts, ideas, and advice on your blog.
Love the mirror and how it has been a part of each of you girls' life.

jenny said...

I love that we got a glimpse into your house. Great quote. I am proud of you for picking a topic that is hard. I am not sure I could do that. I tend to go the easy route and pick something I feel comfortable with.

You are creative Lelly! We are all following your creative lead on Tuesday!

becca said...

I love these self portrait challenges and I really enjoyed reading this post. What a great challenge for all of us!

Amy said...

Wonderful post, you Creative girl (a bit more affirmation never hurts!). Beautiful face in the mirror, adding to beautiful memories of its past. Thank you for the challenge that I'll get to tackle today after groceries and post office...

Kari said...

Well you ARE creative! And I am also a strong believer in the Words of Affirmation from us to us, also! What we tell ourselves is very powerful. More powerful than what other people tell us.

Thanks for your challenges I think it causes a lot of introspection and gives us some plain ol' blogging fun!

Crystalyn said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Crystalyn said...

first of all thank you for this challenge...harder than i thought it would be but worth it! and it's been so fun to read others.

i LOVE the quote! it's so true and part of what i struggled writing in my own post.

i have similar tapes in my head...about not being enough in things that i want to be. i agree with you that you are incredibly creative. i too am inspired by so many in blogland and question myself at times as well.

i am going to be looking at myself differently in the mirror these days!

Jill said...

This was a hard challenge and I can't wait to see how everyone interprets it. I love your interpretation. The context is very cool and your views are interesting. Is there such a thing as not being creative enough? Creativity by its very nature seems to open ended and all encompassing. I think you've got plenty!

Price Cream Parlor said...

I love that you chose this challenge and yet, it was a challenge for you as well. I love your take on this photo today. So CREATIVE! Loved the story behind that tiny treasured mirror and the look into your life.

Missy said...

I love your post today. I wasn't able to be very deep today with mine.
I just wasn't feeling very creative today. So, I identified with what you were saying about your creativity. I like the idea of writing words of affirmation on the mirror.
Missy

michelle said...

Wonderful. The other idea I had for this that I didn't pursue (yet) also had to do with what I see vs. what others see. I always come up short. Other people can compliment me all they want, it doesn't compare with my thoughts about myself. That being said, I think you are very creative!

I am Laura said...

I have always wanted to be a creative person, but I feel that I am not. I think when we look at others and the many things they create we start to feel that we have now creativity. I think each of us being unique in our own way makes us each creative. I like your self portrait. It was a hard one for me too. It is hard for me to say what people think of me. I hope it is only nice things.

amy gretchen said...

I love your photo and how you chose to write creative on the mirror. I couldn't agree more with you on how blogging has inspired me, help me to see others more fully, and awaken the me inside.

Thank you so much lelly for giving us these challenges I have certainly loved it.

Kelly said...

Great mirror story. Great image in the mirror. The rock party, soup party, self-portrait trend...I'm glad you have found blogging to document your creativity, so you can always look back and see you are far from mediocre!

Unknown said...

It's somehow comforting to know that these are challenging for you, too. I loved your thoughts behind this. The meaning and feeling behind your small hand mirror. I was way more silly with mine today. But, that's part of the fun, I think to see how we each interpret the challenge.

Thanks for doing this. No doubt about it -- you are wonderfully creative.

Elizabeth said...

It was fun to take your challenge today. I love your quote from Wally. He lives here in Hawaii in my town. He says wonderful things like that in person.

melanie said...

I tried doing the same picture because I use my hand mirror all the time. I could not make it work, yours looks great! And I agree, your creativity seems endless!

Bridget said...

What a great post! I loved that you used a mirror that had so much meaning to you. Such a great ides! Thanks for the self portrait tuesdays!

Unknown said...

Thank you for hosting these challenges Lelly. They have made me stop and think and find ways to love myself despite all my flaws.

Allison said...

Thanks again for the challenge! This was a great post.

Serendipity said...

This was harder than I thought it would be...I loved your post -- I love your creativity, and I can't wait to see some of this SPT's interpretations!

Thank you for SPT!

Barb said...

The story of the hand mirror is so great to have recorded. I also like you peaking out from the centre of your home. I'm glad your image is affirming you. The nicest words: it is enough.

annalisa said...

the challenge this week was harder than i thought it would be but i enjoyed it nonetheless. i enjoyed your idea of putting a word on your mirror that defines you and evaluating it.

Jenny Dahl said...

I love that you are posting different challenges each week. I've done a couple of these and have enjoyed the opportunity to look a little deeper into the heart of who I am. I gave it a go this week. Difficult for me too. I've never met but can confidently say that you are very creative. Anyone who looks at your site I'm quite sure would agree.
I can't figure out how to comment and link to my site. Sorry, but thanks for sharing. Some visit at thedahlfamily.org